


Solace

by SeriPhe08, StarkSupportingAngelofMusic



Series: ThroneTalia [1]
Category: Game of Thrones (TV), Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Eventual Smut, Hetalia human names used, Multi, One-sided Attraction Arthur/Sansa, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, more characters as story progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-28
Updated: 2015-03-24
Packaged: 2018-02-27 08:12:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2685578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeriPhe08/pseuds/SeriPhe08, https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarkSupportingAngelofMusic/pseuds/StarkSupportingAngelofMusic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Antonio Fernandez Carriedo is a prisoner turned slave. Sansa Stark is a young Lady that wishes she could be free of her unhappy life. When these two meet, they give each other the will to continue on, to once again believe in things that are good. Slowly, it becomes something more. This is their story. A story of their stuggles, romance, and dreams of a brighter future.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> This fanwork is based on an active role play between myself and a friend on Facebook. I wrote as the Hetalia characters and she wrote as the GoT ones. We eventually fell in love with the AU we had created and we agreed that this pairing should be shared with others. 
> 
> From time to time, foreign words or phrases may appear in a chapter, those translations can always be found in the end notes.

Antonio Fernandez Carriedo was on his knees on the deck of an English pirate ship, covered in both the blood of the enemy and his own, looking up at the man who had bested him in battle. Around them, smoke from his burning ship filled the air along with the sound of occasion explosions, powder kegs caught in the flames. The man standing over him, smirking, his acid green eyes reflecting the light of the flames strangely, was one Arthur Kirkland, Antonio's least favorite person in the world.

"Well, Anthony. It seems you have finally reached the lowest point of your pirating career. I believe that you should be thanking me for not sending you to the bottom of the sea like the rest of your crew." The Englishman smirked down at the dark-haired Spaniard as he tipped Antonio's chin up with the point of his sword. "Well, Anthony?"

Antonio's response was an acidic glare at the blonde before spitting a mouthful of blood and saliva at the thick-browed Brit's feet. Not even a second later, he was seeing stars as the Englishman kicked him hard and dragged him up by the collar of his long, red, now torn and tattered, coat. 

"It appears I'll have to train the bite out of my new Spanish dog then." Arthur smirked darkly as one of his men clicked a heavy iron collar around Antonio's neck, the lock fastening with a loud click. "I think I'll enjoy breaking you, Anthony."

~Several years later~

Antonio had noticed a change in his "Master" recently. The man seemed preoccupied by something. Tonight, rather than taking his anger out the brunette Spaniard as he usually did now that the new king had taken the throne, Arthur surprised him by unlocking the iron collar that had become an almost permanent fixture around his neck and replaced it with a simple shirt pin bearing his mark. 

"I think you have earned a bit of freedom for yourself at last, Anthony. I have a special job for you to do and with you wearing the collar, she will think harshly of me..." Arthur looked rather off at the thought of the lady he spoke of disappointed in him.

Antonio blinked in confusion, but simply nodded, keeping his mouth shut lest he manage to get his so recently lightened neck re-shackled. He thought he knew all of the ladies in the court and, he was fairly certain, they all knew exactly who he was, collar or no.

The Englishman stood back and glanced Antonio over. "At least try to remove the messy look from your hair..."He huffed softly and pulled on his traveling cloak, meaning he was leaving for a bit this evening. Perhaps the lady he was going to meet lived outside of Kings Landing?

As it turned out, that was not the case. Arthur gave Antonio his orders as they walked. He was to be the personal guard for Arthur's recent betrothal, a young lady of thirteen by the name of Sansa Stark. Antonio immediately understood why she would need protection. Her family had been deemed traitors by the English crown. Antonio had been present in the crowd as her father had been beheaded for his crimes, and Arthur now constantly complained of the headaches her brother, the self-proclaimed "King of the North", was causing him by irritating the current King, Joffrey. 

The Spaniard followed along behind his "Master" quietly as the blonde lead the way to her rooms. Waiting patiently outside the door as he was told as Arthur knocked once on the wooden door and entered, leaving the door open.

~~~~~

Sansa Stark stood at her mirror, sighing softly at her reflection. Despite being a young girl of only thirteen, the blue eyes that gazed back at her seemed almost lifeless. She had returned to her room only shortly before, dinner with the King's mother and the Queen Regent had been tiring, as usual. They had purposely made her feel like she was worthless because of everything her brother, Robb, was doing in the North. She turned as there was a knock on the door, she didn't even bother to answer, already knowing who was there. It was Thursday, so it would be her betrothed at the door, coming for one of their short talks they shared twice a week.

Arthur let himself in after only a second, coming forward to lightly take her hand and press a kiss to it. "Good evening, my little dove. Did you have a good time at the Queen's party earlier? They served those lemon cakes you like so much didn't they?" He smiled lightly at her, almost seeming to pity her.

She returned the smile weakly, forcing herself to seem cheerful. " Yes. It was...nice." she wondered why he hadn't taken a seat at the tea table like he usually did. He looked ready to travel rather than sit and talk. Maybe he had finally decided to take her away from this horrid place. Her hopes were shattered when he sighed and spoke.

"I'm afraid I can't stay for our usual quality time together, love. I have to go deal with some business in one of the villages a few days ride from here. I'll be back in a week.." He looked towards the door. "While I'm gone, I have arrange for someone to keep you company in my place." He huffed softly. "Anthony. You may come in now. "

Sansa's eyes widened imperceptibly as she took in the sight of the tanned skin and dark hair of "Anthony". She had seen him before in the distance, following along behind Arthur. She knew what he really was, despite the fact Arthur had apparently removed his collar. He was the one the other nobles referred to as "Arthur's Spanish dog". She quickly looked him over with just her eyes as Arthur continued to apologize for having to leave her, at the same time, she could feel his eyes on her as well, despite the fact he was supposedly looking at the stone floor.

In the future, Antonio would swear that his heart skipped a beat at the sight of the young, copper haired goddess standing beside Arthur as he was called into the room. He immediately glanced down with 'respect' as he had been 'instructed' to do by Arthur. That didn't stop him from looking up at her through his lashes though. The one thing aside from her fiery hair that caught his attention was the fact that she had the most beautiful sapphire eye he had ever come across. Not even the jewels he had plundered during his time as a pirate came close to the clarity of the blue. 

Arthur finished what he had been telling Sansa before pressing another kiss to her hand and turning to leave the room. As he passed by Antonio, his eyes narrowed slightly and he murmured, just for Antonio's ears, "Anything that happens to her, you receive tenfold." and with that, he left the Spaniard and the young English girl staring at each other.  
It was a long moment before Sansa broke the silence. She felt almost dizzy from the feeling of her eyes on her and she needed some distraction from those bright green eyes, so different from Arthur's.

"D-do you speak English?" she asked tentatively. It was quite possible that he only understood the commands Arthur gave him.

There was a light almost musical sound as Antonio chuckled softly. His words were accented a bit thickly as he spoke, but he was understandable. "Si. I do speak English, Lady Stark." He moved to the table where there were tea cakes set out and pulled out a chair for her to sit.

Sansa sat in the offered chair gracefully folding her hands in her lap as she did. As Antonio moved to sit in the chair across from her, she spoke quietly. "Anthony... That's not your real name, is it." she waited for him to reply. He nodded and offered her a bit of a more natural smile. It had been quite a while since someone actually wanted to know more about him. 

"Si, my true name is Antonio. Arth..Mast.." He stumbled a bit over what he should call her betrothed in front of her. "Lord Kirkland prefers to call me by the English version of my name." He paused again. "You're free to call me as you please."

“Antonio...” Sansa tried the foreign name out softly. It felt strange on her lips, but it wasn't an unpleasant name. “You can simply call me ‘Sansa’ if you like. I’ll use your proper name as well, Antonio.”

The Spaniard’s smile was genuine for the first time in over two years as he heard his name fall from her lips. “Gracias, Lady Stark, but I doubt Lord Kirkland would appreciate me calling you so informally with out his permission.”

Sansa glanced at the still open door before standing and going to close it herself, shielding their conversation from any unwanted ears. She knew that both Arthur and King Joffrey had their spies watching her, but, this man before her didn’t seem false to her. “There. Now no one can hear you call me by my name. Arthur gave you orders to keep me company didn’t he? Then you can keep me happy by calling me Sansa.”

Antonio sighed softly before nodding. “Si... Sansa then.” his slight lisp on the ‘s’ made her name sound extremely odd coming from his lips and he knew it, but, she didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she seemed to relax slightly as he complied with her wishes, a faint trace of a smile appearing on her lips.

“You are from Spain, right?” she asked quietly, she still had her childish curiosity, but had manners ingrained into her by her teachers back in Winterfell as well as the other nobles here at King’s Landing. “You have traveled before, too. Outside of England?” She placed one of the little lemon cakes onto a napkin and pushed it into his direction, hoping that he could be bribed to tell her of the outside world. She had heard the rumors that the “Spanish dog” was a captured pirate captain, but, honestly, as she watched him lightly pick up the cake and thank her, she couldn’t believe those tales.

“Si. I am from Spain originally.” he began. He was unsure how much of his true history he could share with this young girl, so, he did what he had done for so many centuries, he told only what would be believable. He looked to be in his mid twenties, perhaps twenty five at the most, so, he told her of his travels that he could have gone on. “And, yes, I have seen a lot of the world outside of both Spain and England.”

Sansa listened intently to his tales of his home country for well over an hour, her mood brightening as she listened to him talk. At one point, the brunette Spaniard lapsed into fluent Spanish when he told about how beautiful his homeland was, but, seeing the clueless yet cheerful look on her face, he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and restated what he had said in English. At last, one of the maids tapped on the door, entering and telling Sansa that it was time to help her dress for bed after giving Antonio a rather flirtatious flick of her eyelashes.

Antonio stood from the table and pressed a light kiss to the back of Sansa’s hand. He apologized politely for keeping her up so late with his chatter before taking his leave. As the maid closed the door behind him, the auburn haired young lady gently rubbed the back of her hand where the Spaniard’s lips had just barely brushed the skin, a faint blush on her cheeks.


	2. A Subtle Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Antonio and Sansa begin to spend time together while Arthur is away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder that this story is based upon a roleplay. Therefore, chapters will come as we crate the screnarios for them. There won't really be a regular update pattern. This chapter is also quite short. Others in the future will be longer.

Sansa was rather surprised when she exited her rooms the next day to find Antonio leaning against the wall just a short ways down the hallway. As she closed her door behind her, and began to make her way down the hall he shifted slightly and walked down the hallway as well. She thought nothing of it at that moment as he headed to one of the smaller dining rooms for her breakfast. She really didn't notice him again until an hour or so later when she was walking in the gardens, he was down the pathway a bit, appearing to be carefully looking at some of the flowers. 

After seeing him several more times before lunch, she realized that, in essence, he was following her around. When she took her lunch in the gardens, she could see him there, just on the edge of her vision. It was starting to become almost irritating. After the servants that had brought her meal cleared away, she sighed. She could see him seated against one of the fountains, a thin sandwich in hand. Deciding that he apparently had nothing better to do, he looked rather content from where she was seated, she decided that, if they were taking their midday meal in the gardens, she might as well gain some enjoyment of it.

"Antonio?" said green eyed Spaniard looked up sharply as she called out his name and he stood, making his way over to the edge of her small alcove in the garden. 

"Si, Lady Stark. Is something wrong?" Two years of being Arthur's slave had given him a bit of a complex for thinking the worst. He was fully prepared to have her steaming bowl of soup thrown on him for stalking her. When she simply smiled faintly at him, it shocked him. 

"Arthur told you to keep be out of trouble while he was away, right?" she absentmindedly stirred her soup as she spoke, not waiting for him to answer. "I enjoyed the tales of your travels last evening. Sit and speak with me some more? It's a bit boring to dine alone."  
Antonio nodded. " What would you like to hear about today, then?" He knew that the servants wandering the gardens would talk of he were to actually sit at the table. Instead he sat down, leaning against the stone railing of the gazebo where she was taking her lunch.

"I heard a rumor that you had been to the New World. Is it true?" At his nod, her eyes lit up. "Tell me what it is like there. Is it really the land of gold and riches like they say?"  
The next little portion of the afternoon was spent with her listening as he told her of his dealings with the natives and his travels there. As she snacked lightly on her dessert of lemon cakes, she passed him one, which he graciously accepted.

It became a habit over the next few days for Antonio to join Sansa at lunch and in the evening's to entertain her with the tales of his life. One night, it was he who decided to ask a question. He had heard Arthur's side of the events surrounding her her family and hints that the place this "Princess of Winterfell" came from, but, he wanted to know a bit about her from her own lips. As he finished his tale about a stormy trip across the seas, he tipped his head to the side. "What about you, Sansa? What was your life like before you came to King's Landing?"

So Sansa began to tell Antonio all about her life before King’s Landing. She spoke of her mother and father and how kind and loving both of them were despite how they seemed to outsiders. When she spoke of her parents and her siblings her blue eyes seemed to brighten and the smile never seemed to leave her lips. She told him how her mother used to send her maids away so she could brush Sansa’s hair herself, how she used to get into snowball fights with her little sister and her little brother. Yet when she got to the part where her father gave her a wolf pup, her eyes began to dull, almost as if she was beginning to relive a particularly painful memory.

Antonio's heart ached slightly as he saw her bright demeanor dull. " You don't have to tell me anything you don't want too. I don't want to make you unhappy." He reached across the table to give her hand a gentle squeeze, bringing her back to the present moment and causing her to flinch slightly before looking down with a blush. 

"I- I didn't mean to worry you any. I was just thinking about Lady... Joffrey had her killed when I came here..." Sansa bit her lip slightly and took a shallow breath to keep from crying in front of this dark-haired servant that seemed to actually care. Antonio offered her a wry smile and pulled his hand away as a servant entered the room, slowly standing to take his leave. "You are a very strong young lady, Sansa. You haven't been broken."

Sansa frowned slightly at his choice of words. He made it sound like he was proud of her for being strong willed. She was confused by it. Most men preferred a lady to be a docile and seen rather than heard. Arthur would prefer her to be less verbal, she was sure of it. 

Over the next few days, Sansa made it a bit of a pet project to study Antonio. Despite the faint marks that had been left by the iron collar he used to wear, he didn't carry himself like a common born slave. His posture was almost perfect when he would sit with her and he had wonderful table manners. His words, although heavily influenced by his accent had a cadence to them that made him seem more like a Lord than a servant. 

One evening, during their "storytime" she interrupted him as it finally clicked into place in her mind. "Antonio? You were a Lord back in your homeland, weren't you. It all makes sense. You seem so enlightened compared to the other servants." Antonio smiled a bit sadly before nodding.

"Si. I was probably second only to the King and his sons." He glanced up from the pastry he was picking apart briefly to see her reaction to his words, her sapphire eyes slightly widened and her lips parted in surprise. Before she could voice her next question, he answered it. "I made the mistake of becoming an outlaw. It irritated the King, so, when my ship was sunk in a battle and I was captured, he didn't see fit to pay my ransom. As such, I became the property of the man who defeated me, Arthur Kirkland."

After a few seconds of hesitation, Sansa placed her small, pale hand over Antonio’s, giving his hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze and causing the Spaniard to look up in almost pleasant surprise. “You’re here with me now….that seems to be the only good thing that has come from that series of events.” Her voice was soft and her eyes flicked around the room to make sure that no servant was seeing her touch Antonio’s hand the way she was. Her betrothed definitely would not approve of it.

"Si. I suppose that even dark clouds have silver linings." Antonio let her hand brush against his for a bit longer before chuckling lightly and taking it back, lest one of the servants see and report it to Arthur once the Englishman returned from his journey. They continued to talk for a bit longer before, just as every other night, Antonio took his leave, wishing her pleasant dreams.

Rather than Antonio, it was Arthur that joined Sansa for breakfast the next day. The Englishman had returned to Kings Landing just before dawn. He looked as presentable as ever despite the slight bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. As per usual, he greeted her with a kiss to the back of the hand. 

"Good morning, little dove." He studied her for a moment before smiling at the fact she seemed much brighter than she had been. "I see that you finally have more color in your cheeks. I had been starting to worry that you might me falling ill before I left."  
In reality, the new brightness to Sansa's complexion was thanks to Antonio and his companionship. Before meeting the cheerful Spaniard, she had no appetite and would simply pick at the food she was given. But, when she was speaking with Antonio, even though she shared a bit of her meal with him, she was eating more than she had, thus improving her health and complexion.

Arthur continued to make polite conversation as they dined, although, to Sansa's ears, his words sounded almost rehearsed. "I missed you while I was away, little dove. I hated leaving you here by yourself. I can hardly wait until we are married. We'll be able to spend so much more time together then."

Sansa knew that Arthur was getting impatient. She was thirteen years old, close to fourteen and still she had not flowered. Arthur wanted her in his bed and the only thing stopping him from having her was the fact that she was not even a true woman yet. Sansa knew the basics of being married to a nobleman like Arthur Kirkland, she was expected to be a demure, obedient and above all quiet young wife who bore many sons for her husband and let him do as he pleased whenever he please. Queen Cersei had been kind enough to enlighten Sansa about her wifely duties. So, as Sansa dined with Arthur, she simply politely nodded as she picked at her meal. His conversation was once again ruining her appetite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone wonders, this is a crossover with nationverse Hetalia. Antonio is the personification of the country of Spain. Sansa is also a personification; she represents Winterfell.


	3. Savior

Once Arthur had returned, Antonio's days once again became busy. When the Englishman wasn't with Sansa, he still watched over her, but their conversations were often cut short by random servants appearing with small courting gifts from the Brit. When Arthur planned on spending time with Sansa, or knew where she would safely be, he sent Antonio on numerous errands for him, as he had done in the past.

Occasionally, Antonio would appear before Sansa in the evenings looking ready to fall asleep on his feet, but he managed to keep up a conversation with her, despite her gentle suggestion that he could rest on the chaise sofa while she took her evening snack.

After almost a month of these meetings, the monthly court day where, traditionally, judgments were handed out and the people's troubles could be brought before the King came about. Antonio wasn't required to attend, he had no business with the brat that called himself the English King, Joffrey. In fact, in the Spaniard's opinion, it was best if he avoided the palace on those days. Too many times since the young boy had taken the throne, he had seen the commoners that brought their troubles before him removed from the room. There had been shouting before the complainant fell silent moments later, the body of the common born citizen had unceremoniously been carted back to their families, the bolt of a crossbow through either their heart, throat, or skull, depending on just how much the boy king wanted them to suffer for criticizing him that day.

Today was one of those days, so, Antonio had, as usual, volunteered to trek around the city of King's Landing delivering letters and receiving the responses for his Master. He returned early to the palace for once and went to the kitchens briefly to acquire his midday meal. Planning on returning to meet Arthur to receive his next chores and deliver the responses he had tucked away in the satchel beneath his cloak.

Inside the throne room, things were not going pleasantly for today's object of punishment. Sansa Stark's brother, Robb, had declared war on King Joffrey some time back and, judging by the way Joffrey was acting, the " King of the North" seemed to be taking the advantage. In place of her brother, the young auburn-haired girl was taking the punishment. Joffrey was having one of his Knights beat her. At his place standing behind the throne, all Arthur could do was watch. It would be him in the young lady's place instead if he spoke up against the rough treatment of his betrothed.

It seemed like the king was feeling merciful that day, as he had commanded his knight not to touch Sansa's face. He liked her pretty, and if the knight hit her with a mailed fist she wouldn't be pretty anymore, not for a few days at least. The first blow had knocked the wind out of her as the knight sunk his fist into her belly. A large hand gripped Sansa's hair and for a moment she thought that he meant to cut her throat when she heard Meryn draw his sword, but she was wrong. The force of the flat of the sword against the back of her thighs almost broke the girl's legs and the scream of pain that came from Sansa's was so loud that it was heard outside the throne room.

"Meryn, tear off her dress! Make her naked!" The boy king commanded, obviously taking pleasure in the sight of Sansa Stark being humiliated. The front of Sansa's pretty dress came apart with a loud ripping sound as Meryn tore the fabric with a meaty hand. Sansa moved her hands to cover her bare breasts from the court's prying eyes. Far off she could hear laughing, sneering, could feel the eyes burning into her bare flesh as she lost count of the blows that were given to her.

Antonio heard the jeers and taunts, as well as the sobs of pain as he neared the throne room. What made him angry was the fact that the voice of the one being punished was one of a young woman. He pushed open the door, quite intent on stopping the treatment of a member of the fairer sex in such a manner only to have his blood run cold as he recognized the copper-colored locks of the supposed criminal. Before he could stop himself, his feet carried him forward and he stepped between Meryn and his target, at the same time, removing his cloak and draping it around Sansa's shoulders. He then turned his attention to the two blondes on the dais as Sansa pulled the cloak firmly around herself, looking up at him with wide, frightened yet awestruck eyes. While her betrothed simply watched her be beaten, this man she had only known a month was willing to stand up to the King of England for her.

"Ay! Is this what the English crown has fallen to? Beating and stripping their ladies because they can find no better form of entertainment?" His eyes showed more than a simple hint of the former light they had when he was known as a fierce Conquistador sailing the seas as he glared at both Arthur and Joffrey, the ferocity of the glare making both blondes internally shiver. Joffrey blinked before regaining his composure to snap back at the Spaniard.

" I'm free to do as I please, dog! I'm the King here. My word is law!" He almost picked up his crossbow but was stopped by Arthur clearing his throat lightly and speaking softly "Don’t dirty your hands with his Spanish blood, Your Highness. It won't be worth it." Indeed, it would only raise problems in the long run for all involved if the man supposedly killed were to be seen somewhere walking around several months later.

"Take the Stark bitch and get out of my sight!" Joffrey snarled and Antonio wasted no time in helping Sansa to her feet and escorting her past the crowds and down to her rooms. He ignored any of the common courtesies that were set in place to protect her modesty in favor of lifting her skirt to her knees and using a damp cloth to gently dab away the blood that was beginning to flow on the back of her legs from where the edge of the knight's sword had lightly split the skin. He offered her his own handkerchief to dry her tears and, noticing her trembling at each of his touches, murmured softly. "Don't worry, Lady Sansa. I won't hurt you. I will protect you to the best I can."

The tears flowed freely from sapphire eyes as Sansa rather suddenly embraced Antonio, clinging to him like a lifeline, small, quiet sobs falling from her lips. Her tears wet the front of his jerkin as her sobs wracked her delicate body. Out of all the people in King's Landing, Antonio was the only one she knew she could trust. That was why she clung to him, why she let him see her cry. Some might say she even loved the Spaniard, although if you asked Sansa she would deny every word of it.

"Thank you...thank you." Sansa whispered, tilting her head up to look at Antonio with blue eyes filled with tears. The kindness in his eyes almost made her want to cry again. She hadn't seen kindness in what felt like forever. Everyone in King's Landing treated her like she was lower than dirt, not Antonio. They were in the same situation, stuck in a place where they were hated because of who they were. Only Antonio truly understood her.

A soft sigh escaped Antonio's lips as he rested a gentle hand on her hair petting the copper curls like he would a small child. His eyes were not only kind, but held compassion for her. Like her, he felt that she was perhaps the only noble in the castle that didn't see him as simply a Spanish slave.

"Don't thank me. I only did what was right. You do not deserve the treatment you received. You are too kind to have done any wrong punishable in such a way." He let her keep the cloak draped around her as her looked through her wardrobe for a dress she could wear instead of the one that had been ruined.

When he found only dresses with tight corsets, he sighed deeply. From just the flash of exposed skin he had seen when he passed her his cloak in the throne room, he could tell that her ribs would be severely bruised and sore for the next few days at least, every last one of the articles of proper attire in her closet would only cause her pain. He bit his lip and rifled quickly through the drawers of the wardrobe, finding a night dress amidst her smallclothes. He had a faint blush on his cheeks as he passed it to her.

"Wear this. I won't look." He turned away. " You should rest now. I'll stay outside the door until Arthur sends a servant to check on you." He didn't add the thought that was running rampant through his mind. 'And sends for me..." He was well aware that he would be severely disciplined for his slanders against the king.

"You can stay if you want." Sansa protested, her own cheeks turning pink as she slipped off the torn remnants of her gown and corset, setting them aside so she could slip on the shift that Antonio had given her to wear. Since her maids weren't here to help her she had to pull out the pins that held her hair up herself. She winced in pain when the pins tugged at her auburn hair, but still she continued to remove the ivory hairpins. Arthur had given her the pins himself, but that made her want them out of her hair even more.

Then, she felt gentle hands grip her own, stopping her from pulling out any more of the pins. Sansa knew those hands, they were the only gentle pair of hands in King's Landing. She turned her head and looked up at Antonio with confusion evident in those tully blue orbs.

"Let me help. You're only causing yourself more pain." His green eyes showed concern as he began to gently remove the pins that remained, setting them aside, sending her hair lightly cascading to her shoulder blades, before beginning to deftly remove the braids as well. As he had almost finished the last little bit, he was surprised to feel lips on his own. As she had watched him work so gently to help her, Sansa had been overcome by a feeling she had never felt before. She wondered just what it would be like to kiss this man that seemed to be the only one that truly cared for her.

Antonio tensed slightly as her lips pressed against his so sweetly. But, he too was slightly overcome by the moment and relaxed after his initial shock passed. With every talk they had shared in the evenings, he had grown more and more fond of the young lady he was supposed to be guarding for Arthur. He let Sansa's braid fall, still half twisted as he wrapped it lightly around his finger. After a moment longer, he pulled away, blinking at her, a mixture of shock, confusion, and lust swirling in his bright green eyes.

"Lady Sansa..." His voice was quiet and just a bit husky. "You shouldn't have done that..." He glanced around a bit nervously making absolutely sure there had been no prying eyes nearby, not for his own sake, but for hers. His voice grew quieter. Had someone seen and passed the information to the right person, the young, auburn-haired lady would be labeled a whore, an unmarried woman seducing a man other than her betrothed who was, in the eyes of the English court, a man with the status of a slave no less. "Why did you just kiss me?"

Sansa was silent for a moment before she answered. Now that she realized what she had done, she also realized what consequences she might face had they been caught.

"You... You're the only person that has been kind to me since I came here. Arthur showers me with small gifts, but, you give me actual kindness. And... I... I wanted to know what it was like to kiss a man." Her pale cheeks were a faint pink at the moment as she glanced down.

"Well?" Antonio chuckled inwardly to himself, for a moment, he had forgotten just how innocent this young girl was compared to him. In his days as a pirate, many of his nights in port had been spent in a bed at the local portside brothels. "How was it?"

Sansa looked up and her cheeks tinted crimson as she finally noted the slight bit of lust in his deep green eyes. Could it be possible that, despite the fact that so many in the court saw her as simply a naive, air-headed child, he actually saw her as something more? She briefly imagined the uproar that her would be caused by her allowing him to bed her. The virgin daughter of Eddard Stark, deflowered by a Spanish slave; it would be a disgrace. If he married her though, there would be no harm, it would simply be a man rightfully bedding his wife. With the way Arthur seemed to treat the Spaniard, the thought of marrying the blonde Brit was starting to make her feel ill anyway.

" It... It wasn't unpleasant..." She murmured before reaching out to gently lace her fingers with his. "I'm glad you're here with me, somehow things seem better." Antonio couldn't help but feel the same way about her. Since meeting her, his days seemed so much brighter. He looked forward to waking up in the mornings. Yes. She was still a young girl, but, in his mind, he wouldn't be opposed to finally settling down and protecting her like a husband does a wife rather than just as a servant does his mistress.

He was about to say something when there was a knock on the door. A servant had finally been sent to care for her. Antonio quickly removed His hand from her own and stood. He seemed almost expressionless as he lightly patted her on the head, like a child, and turned to leave the room. "Make sure to get plenty of rest, Lady Stark. You've had a tiring day."

He was handed a note by the servant as he passed her, but, he didn't even need to glance at it to know what it said.

' My quarters, immediately. -Kirkland'

 

**Author's Note:**

> Translations:  
> "Gracias" Spanish for "Thank you"  
> "Si" Spanish for "yes"


End file.
